Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Leandro, CA and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $3,483 in San Leandro, CA, rent and utilities included – about $26,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

166

Cost of Living Index in San Leandro, CA
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San Leandro, CA Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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San Leandro, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,483

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Leandro, CA and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in San Leandro, CA and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,483 in San Leandro, CA versus $1,278 in Phuket.

San Leandro, CA $3,483
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,059 in San Leandro, CA versus $2,216 in Phuket.

San Leandro, CA $5,059
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,634 in San Leandro, CA versus $3,154 in Phuket.

San Leandro, CA $6,634
Phuket $3,154

Living in San Leandro, CA is roughly 173% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: San Leandro, CA is 156% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.50 $25.50

$4.47 ฿151

470.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$111 $111

$32.41 ฿1,094

243.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.84 $14.84

$8.81 ฿297

68.44%

Cappuccino

$6.10 $6.10

$2.83 ฿95.5

115.55%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 $3.21

$0.87 ฿29.43

268.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$0.49 ฿16.67

467.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.90 $7.90

$2.56 ฿86.4

208.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.84 $8.84

$3.68 ฿124

140.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.66 ฿56.0

6.02%

White Bread (500g)

$5.24 $5.24

$1.46 ฿49.35

258.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.86 $4.86

$1.50 ฿50.6

224.00%

Eggs

$5.84 $5.84

$2.09 ฿70.5

179.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.22 $15.22

$19.07 ฿644

-20.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.05 $13.05

$3.30 ฿111

295.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.80 $22.80

$10.91 ฿368

108.98%

Apples (1kg)

$6.07 $6.07

$2.93 ฿99.0

107.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.69 ฿57.1

-9.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.42 $4.42

$2.25 ฿75.8

96.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.46 $6.46

$2.08 ฿70.1

210.58%

Potato (1kg)

$3.00 $3.00

$1.51 ฿51.0

98.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.72 $2.72

$1.38 ฿46.56

97.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.07 ฿35.99

89.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$0.52 ฿17.52

282.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.95 $11.95

$4.20 ฿142

184.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.36 $14.36

$18.79 ฿634

-23.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.82 ฿61.5

-4.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 $3.70

$2.84 ฿95.9

30.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.70 $5.70

$1.45 ฿49.03

293.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.6 $97.6

$56.7 ฿1,913

72.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.23 $4.23

$3.02 ฿102

40.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.02 ฿34.36

96.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.81 $38.81

$3.69 ฿125

951.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.47 ฿49.81

6.12%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$27.2K $27.2K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

1.64%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.2K $26.2K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-1.86%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$240 $240

$96.4 ฿3,254

149.49%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$50.9 $50.9

$11.26 ฿380

352.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.0 $77.0

$16.85 ฿569

356.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.58 $49.58

$67.2 ฿2,270

-26.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$16.03 $16.03

$7.50 ฿253

113.73%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$2,923 $2,923

$476 ฿16.1K

514.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$43.1K $43.1K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

282.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.4 $66.4

$62.4 ฿2,106

6.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.43 $39.43

$28.41 ฿959

38.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.3 $88.3

$94.3 ฿3,184

-6.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$85.8 ฿2,898

40.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,357 $2,357

$716 ฿24.2K

229.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,882 $1,882

$491 ฿16.6K

283.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,652 $3,652

$1,927 ฿65.1K

89.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,985 $2,985

$1,431 ฿48.3K

108.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,091 $5,091

$4,175 ฿141.0K

21.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,028 $4,028

$3,045 ฿102.8K

32.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,390 $5,390

$502 ฿17.0K

973.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.76

5.57

21.36%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for San Leandro, CA: October 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

San Leandro, CA

$1.9K 54%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 73.9% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

San Leandro, CA

$473 13.6%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 43.7% $207

Eating Out

San Leandro, CA

$403 11.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 69.8% $281

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Leandro, CA

$368 10.6%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 66.2% $244

Clothing & Footwear

San Leandro, CA

$142 4.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 14% $20

Getting Around

San Leandro, CA

$135 3.9%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 47.6% $64

Sport & Entertainment

San Leandro, CA

$82 2.3%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 0.7% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,357 in San Leandro, CA and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Leandro, CA pays about 11 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $111 in San Leandro, CA vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $473 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 San Leandro, CA

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

15:06 3:06 PM

05:06 5:06 AM

14 h ahead of San Leandro, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

88,815

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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San Leandro, CA Phuket 13,430 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

San Leandro, CA vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 63% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in San Leandro, CA is about 11 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,357 in San Leandro, CA versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,923 in San Leandro, CA versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 78% higher in San Leandro, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $3,483 in San Leandro, CA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in San Leandro, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in San Leandro, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.